Separation Anxiety
by FlowerPower1o1
Summary: 6 years after the events at the Iifa tree, Zidane and Dagger break up. Now Zidane's in trouble, and it's up to Eiko, Beatrix, Blank, Vivi, Amarant and Quina to help him - and get them back together! R/R Please!
1. Flight From Alexandria

Separation Anxiety By FlowerPower1o1  
  
Summary; 6 years after the incident at the Iifa Tree, Zidane and Dagger break up. Zidane runs as far away as he can and gets in trouble, and Dagger won't help. So now it's up to Eiko, Beatrix, Blank, Quina, Vivi, and Amarant to bail him out - and reconcile the lovers.  
  
A/N: I've written fics before, but I haven't written a Final Fantasy one, and now that I think about it, my track record for completing stories isn't that great, so I'll work at it. Feedback is appreciated!  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Chapter 1: Flight from Alexandria  
  
Steiner sighed from his post just outside the royal apartments. Her Royal Highness, Queen Garnet Til Alexandros the 17th, and her husband, Prince Consort Zidane Tribal, were fighting again. The Captain of the Knights of Pluto tried to remember how many nights in a row they had fought, and gave up. The shouting grew louder, and Steiner shifted uncomfortably, leaning on his sword, the Ragnarok.  
  
Steiner's wife, General Beatrix, approached him, wincing at the shrieks of the queen and the bellowing of the Prince Consort. "Again?" she asked. Steiner simply nodded, and started toward the door at the sound of glass smashing against the wood.  
  
Beatrix grabbed his arm. "Let them go, love," she told him. "Married people always have these arguments, and sometimes it's better to let them get it out of their system. You and I had many arguments worse than these, as I recall."  
  
Steiner chuckled, remembering their last big fight. "It took them weeks to rebuild the barracks. If we hadn't drained ourselves using Shock against each other, they'd still be rebuilding the city. Again."  
  
"No they wouldn't," Beatrix smiled. "I would have beaten you."  
  
Steiner was about to rise to her retort, when they both heard the queen's voice from within the room: "Ifrit! Lord of Flames and Eternal Pain! Come forth and wreak your Flames of Hell upon my affliction!" There was a roar of fire, and a rush of steam came from under the door.  
  
This was followed by the sound of crackling energy, followed by Zidane's voice; "You frosty bitch! Now you've done it! Tidal Flame!" This was followed by another rush of heat, and the door exploded, revealing a Tranced Zidane and an enraged Queen Garnet, casting Cura on herself. "Get out!" Garnet screamed. "Get out of this castle, get out of this kingdom! And if my guards find you in Alexandria by dawn, then I'll have them cut off your head and put it on the city gates!"  
  
"Gladly," Zidane snarled. "My head is yours - if you can find it." He ran to the window, shattered it with another Tidal Flame, and leapt. Steiner ran to the window to see what had become of the former thief, but did not see him.  
  
"Your Highness?" Beatrix said, trying to comfort her young queen. "Is there anything I can do..."  
  
"Leave!" Garnet said. "Leave me alone! Just get out!"  
  
The general and the knight quickly retired for the evening.  
  
The next day, at Beatrix's request, an airship flew in direct from Lindblum. The airship, the Hilda Garde 4, carried one special passenger who now strode through the halls of Alexandria Castle, making her way for the royal chambers.  
  
At the door, a Knight of Pluto stepped in her way. "I cannot allow you into the throne room unless you are here on business," the knight said haughtily. "State your name and purpose."  
  
The woman threw back the hood of her cloak, revealing a summoner's horn grown to its full majesty. "Tell Queen Garnet that Eiko Carol Fabool, Princess of Lindblum, is here to see her. And if you don't do it right quick, then by Madeen I will pump you full of Holy and feed you to Cleyra's antlions."  
  
The knight, looking as if he was going to pass out, stuttered a quick, unrecognizable reply and went into the throne room, coming out in less than ten seconds. "She said that she is in an important meeting right now, and if you don't mind, she said to let you into the library, where she will meet you when she is finished. If you will follow me?"  
  
Eiko decided, twenty minutes later, that the library did not impress her. It was dusty, quiet, and filled with wrinkled old scholars that browsed through books seemingly at random, and glared at her if she made the slightest bit of audible noise. By the time Garnet got there, she was ready to summon Fenrir into the room just for a bit of fun.  
  
"Eiko!" Garnet said as she descended the staircase. The other scholars in the room stopped and immediately bowed.  
  
"Dagger!" Eiko said, falling back on the queen's old nickname. "Long time no see!" She stopped Garnet just as she was about to start speaking again. "Do you think there's someplace a little less public where we can talk? I'm sure these gentlemen have had enough of my noisy presence." She smiled flirtatiously at the various scholars.  
  
"Of course, Eiko," Garnet said, looking confused. "Let's go upstairs."  
  
The two women walked in silent companionship upstairs to the doors of the royal apartments, where carpenters were busy repairing the doors. The entire main room looked as if it had been blasted with a triple dose of Flare.  
  
"You and the husband have another argument?" Eiko said, raising an eyebrow.  
  
Garnet stopped and looked at her. "Beatrix or Steiner?"  
  
"I beg your pardon?"  
  
"Which one of them asked you to come here? Beatrix or Steiner?"  
  
Why Dagger, I'm appalled! To think that a woman can't come to visit the person who is the closest thing to a sister she's ever had of her own free will!"  
  
Garnet glared at her, and Eiko winced. "Beatrix. Please don't be mad, she's just worried about you! We all are."  
  
Garnet was silent.  
  
"So what went wrong?" Eiko asked, sitting down on the charred bed.  
  
Garnet sighed. "I don't know," she said. "It's been happening for the past couple years - little things at first, and then everything just got blown out of proportion. We couldn't even sleep in the same bed anymore, and it was too much effort to try and be civil to each other."  
  
"But you still love him?" Eiko asked.  
  
"That's the thing I don't understand," Garnet said. "I do love him. But how can it be so easy to love him, when it's so hard to like him? He's impetuous, arrogant, immature, and he flirts with every woman he sees."  
  
"Oh," Eiko said. "And since you don't have Mother's ability to turn Zidane into an oglop, like she did to Father way back when Kuja was still around, you had to scream at him and use your summons, and he had to use his fighting skills and thief abilities, didn't he?"  
  
"Alright Eiko, I get the point," Garnet said. "What we did was wrong. We were both wrong."  
  
"Excellent!" Eiko said, standing up and clapping her hands. "So, when can we leave?"  
  
"Leave? Leave to where?"  
  
"Well, to find your husband, of course. What did you think I was talking about?"  
  
"No! I refuse to be the first one to try to make amends! If he still loves me, he'll come back to me. Why should I go crawling after him?"  
  
Eiko sighed in frustration. "You two really are perfect for each other. You're both stubborn as Buzzers and more explosive than Bombs!"  
  
Garnet looked at her. "Look, if you can find him and convince him to come back here to talk, you're welcome to it. But I'm telling you, you're wasting your time. Whatever Zidane and I had, we're done."  
  
Eiko shook her head and walked toward the door. "Give me a week!" she said. "Zidane will be back here and the two of you will be happy as Qu's! You'll see!"  
  
Eiko went back downstairs and stopped a guard walking through the hall. "I want you to summon General Beatrix, Captain Steiner, Chef Quina and Court Mage Vivi, and have them meet me down by the docks in ten minutes. Snap to it! I haven't got all day!" 


	2. The Group Gathers, OR Quina's hungry, wh...

Separation Anxiety By FlowerPower1o1  
  
A/N I should probably put some sort of disclaimer in here or something. Very well. I do not own Final Fantasy 9, or any Final Fantasy, for that matter. Squaresoft owns them all. But wouldn't it be cool if I DID own one? I mean, come on, think about it.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter 2: The Group Gathers, OR; Quina's hungry, what else is new?  
  
Ten minutes later, the group was assembled by the docks.  
  
"I'll make this brief, people," Eiko said. "Dagger is in a bit of a rut here, and we need to help her out. We need to get her and Zidane back together. Of course, in order to do this, we need to find him. Anyone have any ideas on how to do this?"  
  
Vivi raised his hand. "Not that I'm disagreeing with you, Eiko. It sounds like a good plan and everything, but are we sure that Dagger even wants Zidane back?"  
  
Eiko grinned. "Yes we are, Vivi. I talked to Dagger, and she admitted that she still loves Zidane, she just has a communication problem. We need to figure out how to get the two of them together someplace with no breakable things and make them talk real civil-like."  
  
"It sounds like that's going to be the hard part," Beatrix said. "The easy part is going to be tracking Zidane down."  
  
"Foolish girl," a voice from behind a tree said, and Amarant stepped around it and looked at everyone. "Zidane is a Tantalus. If he doesn't want to be found, he won't be found. You're going to need another thief to help you."  
  
"A thief like you, Amarant?" Eiko grinned. "It's good to see you. So I take it you've been listening?"  
  
Amarant nodded. "I take it you're going to convince me to come and help you out? I guess I will. I don't have anything better to do, and I do still owe the little monkey for saving me at Ipsen's Castle way back when."  
  
"Excellent!" Eiko said, clapping her hands. "Now, where do we think he might have gone?"  
  
"Amarant said best," Quina said. "Zidane Tantalus. He go to Tantalus hideout?"  
  
"It makes sense," Steiner mused. "The Tantalus is the place that he called home before our adventures. If he were to go anywhere, he would go there first."  
  
Quina clapped, her tongue flapping against her apron. "Yay! We go to Lindblum! Lindblum have tasty treats!"  
  
"She's hungry," Amarant muttered, rolling his eyes. "What a surprise."  
  
"Someone needs to stay here and protect the Queen," Beatrix said.  
  
"I'll be the one to do that, love," Steiner told her. "I know you haven't left Alexandria in a while, and besides, the Knights of Pluto are going to be starting their annual training festival soon, so I'll need to be here anyhow."  
  
Beatrix leaned over and kissed her husband on the cheek. "Thank you, dear."  
  
"So what are we waiting for?" Eiko said. "I have the Hilda Garde 4, we can be back to Lindblum in about fifteen minutes if we left now!"  
  
"Why not?" said Beatrix as she raised her Save The Queen sword. "I have everything I need right here."  
  
"Well, not everything," Vivi said. "We'll have to pick up some supplies in Lindblum."  
  
"And food! Food good!" Quina enthused.  
  
"Yep. On the road again..." Amarant sighed.  
  
The Hilda Garde 4 safely docked in Lindblum Grand Castle, the group headed to the theater district and the Tantalus hideout.  
  
"Hello!" Eiko called as she banged on the door. "Is anybody here?"  
  
The door swung open to reveal Blank, looking as if he had just woken up. "Hey everybody," he said, rubbing at one eye. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"  
  
"Zidane's missing," Eiko said. "We thought he may have come back here."  
  
"I'm surprised you're not out with Baku and the others then. They've been scouring Lindblum looking for clues, and if they don't find any here, they're taking the Prima Vista out to search for him."  
  
"Why?" Eiko said.  
  
"You mean you don't know? Give me two seconds, okay? I spent all last night at the tavern, and I feel like I've got a Cactuar casting 1,000 Needles in my brain." Blank disappeared back into the building and returned with a bundle of papers. Eiko took them and looked at them curiously.  
  
"You don't have to go all through them," Blank said. "There's a couple letters in there - one from Zidane that doesn't say very much, and a longer one from some unknown guy, describing Zidane's condition, environment, and ransom. It also says that a copy of this letter was sent to Dagger at Alexandria, Cid in the Grand Castle, and Freya and Fratley in Burmecia."  
  
Eiko's eyes widened. "You mean...?"  
  
Blank nodded. "Zidane's been kidnapped." 


	3. The Forest Doesn't Like Visitors

Separation Anxiety By FlowerPower1o1  
  
A/N Thanks for the reviews, people! General_Beatrix666, I will try and keep you amused.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter 3: The Forest Doesn't Like Visitors  
  
"Kidnapped?" Eiko said. "What do you mean, kidnapped?"  
  
"I mean, kidnapped, Eiko," Blank said. "What did you think I meant? He's been taken by someone else, spirited away to some secret location, and kept prisoner. Here, read this." He handed her one sheet of paper, which she took and read.  
  
'This guy sounds insane, but listen to him. I am being held captive by him. He's holding a dagger against my throat as I write this, and he says that if I try to write who he is or where I am, he'll kill me. He says that he'll kill me in a week if no one comes to find me. He wants a summoner to come for me, and if a summoner does not come, he'll kill me. I need Dagger or Eiko. My captor has agreed to send a copy of this letter to Dagger, Tantalus, Cid and Freya. Dagger, if you're reading this, I'm sorry for everything. I love you, and I need you like you once needed me. Please, come and get me. If Baku or one of the guys from Tantalus is reading this, don't come yourselves. None of you guys can summon. Keep in touch with Dagger in Alexandria, Freya in Burmecia and Cid in Lindblum though. Cid, if you're reading this, get Eiko. She's a summoner, she can help me. Freya, if you're reading this, put the dragon knights on full alert but don't interfere yourself or else he'll kill me. Please, I don't have much time. Zidane.'  
  
"Why didn't you come and get me!?" Eiko said.  
  
"I sent Cinna up to the castle to get you," Blank said. "But by the time he got there, you had already left for Alexandria."  
  
Eiko stomped her foot. "By Fenrir and Phoenix! I'm gone for an hour and things fall apart!"  
  
"Excuse me," Vivi said, speaking up for the first time. "But do we have any clues about where to start looking?"  
  
Blank pulled out another piece of paper. "This guy that kidnapped Zidane, his letter goes on for pages, but in the middle of all his psychotic ramblings he said to follow the path that Zidane and the others took when you guys were adventuring six years ago, and eventually you'll find him."  
  
"So the bastard that took him knows about where we went all those years ago," Amarant mused. "Where did they begin?"  
  
"The Evil Forest," Vivi said. "When we were escaping from Brahne, the original Prima Vista was damaged. We crash-landed in the Evil Forest."  
  
"It no more petrified," Quina said. "I go there for spices. Some good spices and plants grow there. Evil Forest yummy!"  
  
"So we take the Hilda Garde 4 back to the Evil Forest, search the woods, and then move on to the next location," Beatrix said. "Let's go!"  
  
"Give me two seconds," Blank said, turning to go back in.  
  
"Hold on, Blank," Eiko said. "What makes you think you're going with us?"  
  
"Because Zidane is like a brother to me, and I'm really worried about him, and if you don't let me go I'll just sneak on board the Hilda Garde 4 and follow you anyway."  
  
"Good point. Get your stuff, we're leaving soon."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
About thirty minutes later, the Hilda Garde 4 hung over the Evil Forest. "We're going to have to set the ship down on the plains outside of the forest," Beatrix yelled over the noise of the engines. "The trees are too dense to allow us to land in the forest itself."  
  
The ship touched down and its crew unloaded, standing on the path that led into the Evil Forest. Strange animal cries sounded from the depths of the woods, and the trees rustled uncertainly.  
  
"Are we ready?" Eiko said.  
  
"Just as long as I don't get trapped inside another Plant Cage again, I'll be fine," Vivi muttered.  
  
And that was when the ground behind them erupted and a giant Plant Spider burst through. "Run!" Beatrix screamed as the others drew their weapons.  
  
"No chance," Eiko said as she twirled her Angel Flute and blew into it. For a second, light shimmered around Beatrix as Eiko cast Might on the general. Beatrix ran forward raising Save The Queen high, slashing it down on the Plant Spider. The creature screamed as it sliced in half, collapsing to the ground. More Plant Spiders crawled out of the hole.  
  
"What was that about running?" Vivi said, raising the Mace of Zeus and casting Fira on an unsuspecting Plant Spider.  
  
"Come on!" Quina yelled as the group took off into the depths of the Evil Forest. As Eiko looked over her shoulder one last time, she saw giant roots coming out of the ground around the Hilda Garde 4, pulling the ship into the ground. "Oh, shi-"  
  
"Eiko, jump!" Amarant yelled. Eiko leapt into the air, avoiding a swinging tree branch that had been swinging around to trip her. She landed on her feet, raising her Angel Flute once more. "Fenrir! Manipulator of Earth and Air! Come to me now! Inflict your Terrestrial Rage upon my enemies!"  
  
There was the sound of a wolf howling, and then the glowing image of Fenrir appeared in front of Eiko. The eidolon howled again, and a giant rocky fist burst through the ground and sent a dozen plant spiders flying.  
  
Quina shook her head, her long tongue waggling. "Frog Drop!" she yelled, and a giant frog leapt from nowhere, hopping on random Plant Spiders and crushing them before it disappeared again.  
  
Blank finished hacking a Plant Spider up. "Is anyone else getting the impression that the forest doesn't like visitors?"  
  
Amarant slashed his Rune Claws across a Plant Spider's stomach, slicing it open. "Shut up and fight, thief!" he roared.  
  
Beatrix raised her sword and cast Climhazzard against four Plant Spiders. "There's too many of them!" she yelled. "We're going to have to run again!"  
  
"We can't leave!" Eiko yelled as she cast Holy on a Plant Spider. "The forest took the ship!"  
  
"There's another place!" Vivi called, casting death on a creature that was trying to rip him to pieces. "There's a grove with a fountain of healing deep in the woods. It's a sacred place where no monsters can go! We found it on our way through the forest the first time!"  
  
Amarant leapt to the top of a tree, casting Demi Shock on a dozen of his pursuers, and leapt down next to Blank. "We need to go now!" he yelled, running up the path. Blank, Eiko, Quina and Beatrix started following him.  
  
"I'll take care of these things!" Vivi called, raising his staff. "Doomsday!" The ground erupted in a shadowy explosion that enveloped the Plant Spiders. Vivi turned around and ran after his friends.  
  
When they made it to the sacred grove, the remaining plant creatures following them squealed in alarm and ran off into the forest. Eiko collapsed, exhausted, as Beatrix and Amarant made sure no monsters were within the grove. "Being a princess softened me up," she said as she gasped for air. "I'm not used to this anymore."  
  
"Look at it this way, Princess," Blank said, sitting down next to her and sheathing his Thief Sword. "It could be worse. . ."  
  
"How it be worse?" Quina asked. "Airship gone, we surrounded by evil nasties, and I hungry and we have no food. We screwed."  
  
"We're still alive, though," Beatrix said. "That's all that matters."  
  
"How are we going to get out of here?" Vivi said. "We can't fight all those things. It's too bad Dagger isn't here, she could use her Scan spell to see if Zidane is around here anywhere. . ."  
  
"That's it!" Eiko said. "Beatrix, you have white magic too! Do you know how to Scan?"  
  
Beatrix slapped her forehead. "Of course! I'd forgotten that I even had that spell!" She closed her eyes and concentrated for a minute, then opened them again. "Zidane isn't anywhere in the Evil Forest. I'm absolutely positive."  
  
"So now we just need a way out," Amarant said. "We need to find the Hilda Garde 4."  
  
Blank looked at Vivi. "What if the Plant Brain is fully functional again and controlling the forest?"  
  
"What is the Plant Brain?" Eiko asked.  
  
Vivi blinked and adjusted his hat. "The Plant Brain is the creature in the forest that controls the other creatures in the forest, like the Plant Spiders. Zidane, Steiner, Blank and I fought it the first time we came here, when it had kidnapped Dagger."  
  
"If the Plant Spiders are attacking again, it's safe to say that the Plant Brain is operational too," Blank added.  
  
"And if this thing wanted to strand us here to attack us, it could have taken the Hilda Garde 4 so that we couldn't escape," Eiko finished.  
  
"How far away is this grove?" Beatrix asked Blank and Vivi.  
  
"Not too far... we could be there in a couple of minutes if we run," Blank said.  
  
"The Plant Spiders will probably try and prevent us from entering the cave where the Plant Brain is located, though," Vivi said.  
  
"So we should divide ourselves into two teams," Beatrix said. "Three of us can battle the Plant Brain while the other three hold our retreat."  
  
"Vivi and I can take the Plant Brain," Blank said. "We've fought it before."  
  
"I can assist the two of you," Beatrix said. "I have my white magic, so I'll be able to heal us also. I'm also a fighter, and we have a Black Mage and a thief. Eiko's a White Mage, Quina is a Blue Mage with fighting abilities, and Amarant is a great warrior, so the two teams are pretty well balanced."  
  
"So, Quina, Eiko and I hold the Spiders off while Beatrix, Blank and Vivi fight the Brain," Amarant said. "Sounds like a plan."  
  
"We need leave soon, though," Quina said. "There more Plant Spiders now."  
  
"Leave that to me," Eiko said as she pulled out an emerald and held it up. "Carbuncle! Come to me now! Focus your power through this gem and give us the speed of the wind!"  
  
An unseen force blew through the grove, and for a second everyone glowed with a strange green color. Then the light faded, and Eiko jumped up and down. "Come on!" she said. "I had Carbuncle cast Haste on all of us, but I don't know how long it will last!"  
  
With blinding speed, the group blew out of the grove, past the bewildered Plant Spiders. The Haste spell lasted until the group got to the entrance to the cave. Beatrix and Blank unsheathed their swords as Vivi twirled his wand. "Good luck, guys!" Blank said as the trio disappeared into the darkness.  
  
"You too," Amarant muttered as the first wave of Plant Spiders advanced. He leapt through the air, slashing three of them with his Rune Claws before landing.  
  
Quina pulled out her giant Gastro Fork and stabbed at a Plant Spider. The creature dodged the attack and slashed Quina's arm before it jumped away. Eiko paused for a second before yelling "Cura!", blowing into her Angel Flute. Quina's wound disappeared. Eiko then spun around, casting Holy against three Plant Spiders. Quina bounded after the Plant Spider that injured her, casting her Mustard Bomb spell as she went. The Plant Spider caught on fire and toppled over.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Sure is dark in here," Blank muttered as they made their way into the cave.  
  
"Hang on." Vivi's eyes began to glow a steady yellow color that illuminated the darkness. Up ahead was a large round chamber filled with plants.  
  
"I don't like the look of this..." Beatrix had time to say, before the Plant Brain erupted from the ground and slashed at the group with its tentacles. Beatrix and Blank rolled out of the way, but Vivi was struck and went flying into the wall.  
  
"Shock!" Beatrix yelled, holding the Save The Queen sword up. The sword shimmered white for a second, and then the Plant Brain exploded with silver light. Blank leapt forward and sliced his Thief Sword into the tentacle, severing it. The Plant Brain let out a howl.  
  
Vivi stood up, waving his magic wand. "Firaga!" he called jumping in the air and pointing the wand. The Plant Brain erupted in fire, screaming in pain.  
  
Beatrix smirked. "Good job Vivi, teach that plant who's. . ." It was then that the Plant Brain's other tentacle grabbed Beatrix and cast Venom on her. Beatrix reeled for a second, turning extremely pale, before finally collapsing on the ground.  
  
"General Beatrix!" Blank yelled, jumping over a swinging tentacle and sliding to a halt next to the fallen woman. He pulled out a potion and made her drink it, but it did nothing to stop the venom.  
  
Vivi wound up his magic wand one more time and pointed it at the Plant Brain. "Death!" he yelled. The shadowy figure of the Grim Reaper rose from the ground, slashing at the Plant Brain with its scythe before disappearing. The Plant Brain roared one final time before collapsing and withering.  
  
"Vivi, watch Beatrix!" Blank said as he jumped toward the cave tunnel. He yelled up the tunnel, "Hey kids! Let's get out of here!"  
  
A minute later Eiko, Quina and Amarant ran down the tunnel, pursued by Plant Spiders. "What happened to Beatrix!?" Amarant yelled.  
  
"She was infected with venom during the fight," Blank said. "I can't cure it."  
  
Amarant grabbed the general and picked her up. "Which way?"  
  
"That way!" Vivi said, pointing to another tunnel. "It leads out into a big clearing."  
  
"I slow nasty Spiders down!" Quina said, casting Earth Shake as the rest of the group ran up the tunnel. The cave floor cracked and fissured, knocking Plant Spiders over. The Qu turned and ran up the tunnel after her friends.  
  
"There's the Hilda Garde 4!" Eiko yelled as they burst out of the tunnel. The airship was sitting in the middle of the clearing, seemingly undamaged. Amarant leaped into the air with Beatrix in his arms and landed on the deck. Blank jumped after him and did a tuck and roll, coming to his feet just as Amarant laid Beatrix on the deck. Eiko jumped, flapping the little wings her grandfather had given her, and glided to the deck. She picked herself up and ran for the control room of the airship. "Prepare for liftoff!" she yelled.  
  
Quina summoned her Twister spell and used the winds to carry herself and Vivi up to the deck just as the ship began to lift off of the ground. Vines snaked from the trees, grabbing the airship and trying to hold it down.  
  
"The forest is petrifying again!" Blank yelled, pointing at the nearby trees. The forest was indeed turning to stone again, with the death of the new Plant Brain.  
  
"Cut the ship free!" Eiko yelled. Blank, Vivi and Quina ran to different sides of the ship and began to cut the vines loose. With a sudden lurch, the ship burst free of the Evil Forest just as the last of the trees turned to stone.  
  
Eiko sighed with relief, engaging the forward engines, and then slumped down to the floor. "That was too close for comfort," she breathed. 


	4. That Old Waltz Of Mine

Separation Anxiety By FlowerPower1o1  
  
A/N: Thanks for the great reviews everyone! They are much appreciated.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter 4: That Old Waltz Of Mine  
  
"Esuna!" Eiko yelled, waving her hands over Beatrix's body. White light flared up for a second, then flickered and died. Eiko sat back down and put her face in her hands. "I don't know what's wrong with her."  
  
Beatrix looked awful. Her skin was pale, almost white, and the veins under her skin were an unhealthy green color. Her forehead was dotted with sweat, and her breath came to her in short, ragged gasps. She was still unconscious, and occasionally muttered something that was too garbled for the others to understand.  
  
"I think I do," Blank said. "When the Plant Brain kidnapped Dagger, he planted seeds in her to make her become one with the forest or something like that. It incubates the plants. We cured her by giving her this medicine I picked up in Dali."  
  
"So, we go to Dali." Amarant nodded.  
  
"We can't do that!" Eiko said. "We need to go to the Ice Caverns first! That was the next place that Zidane and the others went."  
  
"Don't be stupid, Eiko," Amarant said. "Beatrix doesn't have a lot of time."  
  
"Why we not divide forces?" Quina asked. "Like we do in forest. Someone take Beatrix to Dali, rest of us go to caves."  
  
"She has a point there," Blank said. "One of us can take the Hilda Garde 4 to Dali with Beatrix and get the medicine, and the rest of us can go through the Ice Caverns. We can all meet at Dali."  
  
"Sounds like a good plan," Eiko said. She looked back to the cabin at Vivi, who was piloting the ship. "We're going to need a Black Mage in the caverns though. And a White Mage, and a fighter."  
  
"I can take the Hilda Garde 4 to Dali," Blank said. "I know how to pilot an airship. I've had practice flying the Prima Vista. You, Vivi, Amarant and Quina can go through the caves."  
  
The ship slowed to a stop and carefully landed next to the frosty cave opening. "It's all yours, Blank," Vivi said, giving him control of the ship.  
  
"It'll probably take us an hour or two to get through the caves," Amarant said as he hoisted himself over the railing and to the ground. "We should try and hurry through here."  
  
Vivi grabbed his hat to keep it from blowing off of his head as the Hilda Garde 4 lifted off with a cloud of sand and a rushing wind. "It shouldn't be that hard," he said. "The only reason this place was difficult before was because the first Black Waltz put everyone but Zidane to sleep. Zidane had to fight it and a monster it summoned by himself."  
  
"What be wrong, Eiko?" Quina asked the White Mage, who was squinting at the entrance of the cave.  
  
Eiko sighed. "Just thinking," she said. "If we lost the most powerful member of our party in the first location, what hope does that give for the rest of us?"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Beatrix was dreaming.  
  
She was back in Cleyra, commanding the destruction of the city in the trees. She could feel the presence of the Black Mages behind her, casting Fira on everything they saw. And above it all, she knew that her Majesty, Queen Brahne, was getting ready to summon one of her daughters' eidolons at the city.  
  
"It's not enough," Zidane said to her as they fought. "You'll never find me."  
  
"We have to," Beatrix said as she cast Thunder Slash at him. "We have to protect you, Zidane."  
  
(A part of her brain realized the irony of her telling him that she was going to protect him, while she was trying to kill him.)  
  
Vivi stepped forward, preparing to cast a spell. "Beatrix, you have to wake up now. The others are going on ahead and having a wonderful time. Hide and go seek, all over again."  
  
Beatrix blocked his Thundara spell and slashed him with the Save The Queen. The Black Mage fell down.  
  
Quina and Freya attacked next, one with a Goblin Punch, the other with her Lancer attack. She deflected the attacks and slashed them both down. Freya looked up at her right before she died and whispered "it . . . is not . . . enough."  
  
Her last enemy was harder. The dark sorcerer shook back his robes and raised his gloved hands. "I hold your precious monkey," the shape snarled. "We are both all right, in a place devoid of light, deep underground where we will not be found. Your dreams will show you the way."  
  
Then he cast Death on her.  
  
Beatrix twisted in her unconscious sleep, the venom coursing through her veins, and let out a ragged scream.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"This is damned cold," Amarant muttered.  
  
They were already almost through the ice caves. The various enemies in the Ice Caverns - Flans, Wyerds, and Goblins for the most part - had not given them much trouble. Usually Vivi could take them out with one Firaga spell.  
  
But if Eiko had to listen to Amarant complain one more time about the cold, she would curse him to spend eternity under Shiva's frosty gaze, and she didn't even care is Shiva wasn't one of her summons.  
  
They reached a tall cave with ramps leading up to a brightly lit top. "At last," Vivi sighed. "We're almost to the top."  
  
And that was when an explosion erupted the ramp in front of them, shattering it. A dark figure swooped down to hover over them.  
  
The figure had wings. He wore a pointed hat. A purple and black robe draped over his figure. His gloved hands crackled with energy. His eyes glowed bright yellow in his black-as-night face.  
  
"What in the name of Madeen are you!?" Eiko shrieked as she prepared to cast Holy.  
  
The figure laughed.  
  
"I am Black Waltz 2-1."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The Hilda Garde 4 touched down in the fields just outside of Dali, and Blank left the sickly general on the ship and ran into town. He made his way through the sleepy frontier town to the medicine store. "Quick!" he said. "I need the potion that stops the seeds from the Evil Forest plants from growing inside a person!"  
  
The shopkeeper regarded the frantic thief, reached under the counter, and put a bright blue bottle in front of him. "That's gonna be 50 Gil," he said.  
  
Blank put a handful of coins on the counter and ran back to the Hilda Garde 4.  
  
The shopkeeper watched him leave, then walked into the back room and spoke clearly into a speaking tube. "There are new people in the town. They might try and stop production, like what happened six years ago. Keep an eye on them."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Black Waltz 2-1?" Amarant said, even as he mentally measured the interior of the cavern - rocks and other structures he could leap off of, his distance from the creature, ways to attack it. "What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"Black Waltz, Version 2, Production 1," the Waltz said. "I am made superior to those paltry weaklings made six years ago. I am on a mission to search and destroy every last one of the people searching for Zidane - except for the summoner. That one is to be allowed through."  
  
"And what if the summoner kills you?" Eiko shouted.  
  
"Don't be ridiculous, girl," the Waltz snarled. "You couldn't possibly kill me."  
  
"Don't be too sure about that," Eiko muttered. She wound up and cast Might on Amarant. "Go!"  
  
Amarant bounded forward, jumped, leapt off of the cavern wall, and flew at the Waltz . . . Stopping about a foot away from him. The Waltz chuckled.  
  
"How cute. The mercenary is going to play hero." Amarant went flying backwards against the wall with the sound of crunching rock.  
  
As Eiko cast Curaga on the broken Amarant, Vivi twirled his staff. "Flare!" he shouted, unleashing the massive magical damage on the Black Waltz. The creature drooped in midair, flapped his wings harder, and stayed in the air.  
  
Quina jumped forward, waggling her tongue. "Twister!" the Qu shouted. A cyclone of wind and energy appeared around the Black Waltz, thrashing it around in the air.  
  
"So, you have three mages with you," the Waltz sneered. "White, Black, and Blue. And you think that that will save you?" He waved a hand and cast Break on Quina. To everyone's horror, Quina turned to stone.  
  
While the Black Waltz cast that spell, Amarant leapt into the air again, slashing at the creature with his Rune Claws. The Black Waltz fell to the ground, magically healing the gash in its side.  
  
Vivi wound up again. "Bio!" he yelled, casting the sickly green energy at the Black Waltz. The Black Waltz laughed weakly as it washed over him. "Pathetic," it said, but its voice sounded strained.  
  
"Stona!" Eiko said, blowing in her Angel Flute and gesturing at Quina. Rainbow beams flickered around her, and suddenly Quina was flesh again.  
  
"Stupid!" Quina yelled, shaking the aftereffects of the petrifying off. She raised her Gastro Fork. "Doom!" she yelled. A giant mirror appeared in front of the Black Waltz. Slowly, the Waltz's reflection faded, and an image of the Grim Reaper stood there instead. Then the mirror shattered.  
  
"10 . . . 9 . . ." Quina muttered.  
  
The Black Waltz shook off the spell and raised its hands. "Blizzaga!" it yelled, and a giant pillar of crystalline ice appeared between the fighters, shattering and throwing them all in separate directions.  
  
"8 . . . 7 . . ."  
  
Eiko raised her hands again. "Cura!" she said, healing all of her party members.  
  
"6 . . . 5 . . ."  
  
Amarant reached into a pouch at his belt and pulled out a pinwheel, throwing it at the Black Waltz. It stuck in his arm, and the creature roared in surprise as it tried to claw the item out.  
  
"4 . . . 3 . . ."  
  
Just as the Black Waltz ripped the pinwheel out of its arm, Vivi ran up and whipped the Black Waltz across the face with his Mace of Zeus before retreating out of the creatures reach.  
  
"2 . . . 1 . . ."  
  
The Black Waltz reared up over them, gathering his magic. "I guess I'll just have to cast Death on all of you!" it roared.  
  
"ZERO!"  
  
The creature let out one last cry of agony as light blazed through its dark. With one final scream, Black Waltz 2-1 sank to the ground and slowly faded out of existence.  
  
There was no time for celebration; the walls of the cave rumbled and cracked as the strain from the fight shattered the Ice Cavern. "We got to leave!" Quina said.  
  
"How are we going to get out of here!?" Amarant yelled. "The Black Waltz shattered the path leading up!"  
  
Eiko closed her eyes and twirled her Angel Flute. "Phoenix!" she intoned. "Lord of fire, Lord of air! Come to your summoner! Fly us up from this place and out of danger!"  
  
The air rippled around her, and then the great flaming form of Phoenix appeared, screeching and belting flames all over the place. "Hop on everyone!" Eiko yelled.  
  
Amarant, Quina, and Vivi jumped on the eidolon's back, and the giant flaming bird lifted them to the top of the cavern. The four jumped off of Phoenix's back and out into the sunlight, and Phoenix disappeared.  
  
The four collapsed on the grass, trying to regain their strength from the fight.  
  
After a few minutes, Eiko put her head up. "A Black Waltz," she said. "Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?"  
  
Vivi looked up and nodded. "Kuja's back."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Steady, General Beatrix," Blank said as he helped the healed woman up.  
  
Beatrix shook her head. "I had the strangest dream . . . Where are we?"  
  
"Just outside the village of Dali. I flew here to get you the medicine to cure you. The others went through the Ice Caverns to try and find Zidane. They should be here soon."  
  
"If my brother didn't take care of them already," a dark shape said, dropping from the sky. Dressed all in black, with long blue claws and glowing red eyes, the creature pointed a wooden staff at them. "Black Waltz 2-2, at your service. I'll be killing you now." 


	5. The Best Laid Plans Of Eidolons And Men

Separation Anxiety By FlowerPower1o1  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter 5: The Best Laid Plans Of Eidolons And Men  
  
"I've heard of the Black Waltzes," Beatrix said as she unsheathed the Save The Queen. "They were made by Kuja six years ago to kidnap the Princess. Extremely powerful Black Mages that would stop at nothing to get what they wanted."  
  
The Waltz seemed to bow in midair. "Stop. You flatter me."  
  
"Blank, get your sword out," Beatrix said from between clenched teeth, but Blank already had pulled his thief sword out.  
  
"Little toy soldiers all in a row," the Waltz almost sang. "I guess I'll just have to play with them!" It raised its hand, there was an explosion, and Beatrix and Blank went flying off the deck of the ship.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Meanwhile, Amarant, Eiko, Quina and Vivi were walking towards the village of Dali.  
  
"Do you really think Kuja is back?" Vivi asked, looking at Eiko.  
  
"It makes sense," Eiko said. "He was the one that created the Black Waltzes for Queen Brahne in the first place, remember? He may have survived the incident at the Iifa Tree."  
  
Amarant shook his head. "Zidane went back to rescue him," he said. "Did he ever say anything about whether or not he get Kuja out too?"  
  
"Not around any of us, apparently," Vivi said after a moment of silence.  
  
"I HUNGRY! When we get to Dali?" Quina moaned.  
  
It was then that they heard the sound of an explosion coming from near Dali.  
  
"I think we better get there soon!" Eiko said, breaking into a run. The others followed her.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Blank jumped into the air, swinging his Thief Sword, but the Black Waltz laughed and disappeared. Blank's sword swung through air.  
  
The Waltz reappeared and lashed Blank across the face with its claws, sending him flying across the field.  
  
"I'm depressed," the Waltz admitted as it watch Blank crash to the ground. "I was hoping I'd find the summoner in the group. My master has great plans for her."  
  
Blank staggered to his feet and jumped forward with his Thief Sword again. "What does your master want with Eiko?"  
  
The Black Waltz smiled again as it cast Drain, taking Blank's physical strength and transferring it to himself. Blank collapsed again. "Why, her eidolons, of course. Granted, he was hoping for Bahamut, Odin, and maybe Atomos, but an eidolon is an eidolon after all. They can destroy enough property no matter who they come from."  
  
Revelation hit Beatrix. "Your master is trying to start another war, isn't he? Like six years ago, when Brahne extracted Garnet's eidolons. He needs creatures of power and destruction."  
  
The Black Waltz snorted. "Please," it said. "A war? My master wants the entire world, not some petty squabbling between the nations."  
  
Beatrix reversed the blade of the Save The Queen and pointed it at Black Waltz 2-2. "Thunder Slash!" she shouted, making a swiping motion with the blade.  
  
Lightning leapt down from the sky just as she leapt forward, slicing the blade across the Black Waltz's chest. The Black Waltz stumbled back, and then laughed. "You call that a thunder attack?" he sneered. "I've mastered fourth level spells, something no Black Mage or Black Waltz was ever able to do." He raised his claws to the sky.  
  
"THUNDALA!"  
  
The sky instantly turned black, and an infinite number of lightning bolts began to rain down on Beatrix. The general dodged as many of them as she could, but still ended up crouched on the ground, doubled over in pain, smoke steaming off of her armor. "That's . . . impossible," she gasped.  
  
"Nothing is impossible, my dear Beatrix," the Waltz said. "Haven't you figured that out by . . ."  
  
Energy crackled around Beatrix as she stood up and swung her sword around her head. Her armor grew spikes and became lighter, yet stronger. Her hair turned a metallic blue color. Even her Save The Queen sword became longer, curved, and sharper. General Beatrix of the Alexandrian Army leveled the sword at her opponent, in a state of Trance for the first time in her life.  
  
"And now," she calmly said to the surprised Waltz, "I'll be kicking your ass."  
  
Beatrix's Shock attack was not as strong as Steiner's, normally. Steiner's was strong because he had the aid of the mystical Ragnarok sword to increase his strength. Beatrix's Shock now, however, blasted Black Waltz 2-2 across the field, smashing into a fence, and landed in the middle of Dali's small farm.  
  
She turned to Blank and held out her hand. "Curaga," she said, healing Blank completely.  
  
"Well," Amarant said as he and Quina ran over. "We were going to lend you a hand, but it looks like you're okay on your own."  
  
The farm exploded as the Black Waltz 2-2 flung itself into the air, encased in an aura of fire. "You've made me very angry now, General," it snarled.  
  
"Where did Eiko and Vivi go?" Blank said, keeping an eye on the Waltz.  
  
"They went to go get the Hilda Garde 4. I take it that Zidane is not in Dali?" Amarant said.  
  
"No," Beatrix said, raising her sword for another devastating attack. "But they are."  
  
Beatrix was referring to six Black Mages, who had come out of a trap door in the ground and were advancing to help the Black Waltz.  
  
"So production of the Black Mages has started again," Amarant muttered. "Looks more and more like Kuja is still behind this. Zidane, you simpleton, you should have let him die."  
  
"Climhazzard!" Beatrix yelled, jumping impossibly far forward and slashing her sword on the ground between the mages. The energy from her attack released in a circle of orange energy, knocking the Black Mages back and killing them.  
  
"You killed my pets," the Black Waltz said. "Time to die, General."  
  
And then he was slammed to the ground by the force of a landing airship.  
  
"Are we late?" Vivi shouted over the deck.  
  
"Good time!" Quina yelled back. "We board now!"  
  
The ship's gangplank lowered, and Blank, Amarant, and Quina rushed on. Beatrix stayed behind. "Beatrix?" Amarant said. "It's time to go now."  
  
Beatrix shook her head, still Tranced. "I have to finish off the Black Waltz 2-2. I'll meet you at Lindblum's Dragon Gate, and from there we can continue the journey."  
  
Amarant was about to ask her how she was planning on getting to Lindblum when the ship started rocking back and forth. Blazing white light shone from underneath the Hilda Garde 4. "Go!" Beatrix shouted. "I'll catch up! Keep Eiko safe!" she said as an afterthought, remembering the plan that the Black Waltz had admitted to them.  
  
The Hilda Garde 4 had been partially designed by the impatient Eiko, who had learned about engineering from her adoptive father. Eiko had built the ship for a fast vertical takeoff, and the ship could go almost twice as fast as its predecessor, the Hilda Garde 3. It went almost as fast as the Invincible had. So when Eiko pulled a lever down, the Hilda Garde 4 was up in the air like a shot, making its way toward its home of Lindblum.  
  
Black Waltz 2-2 stood up, blazing with power. "Now, I'm really angry," it said.  
  
"What a shame," Beatrix said. Normally Beatrix wasn't one to make jibes during her fights. Normally it was all business; defeat the enemy and move on. But her Trance gave her more confidence. She knew that she could beat this creature easily.  
  
Black Waltz 2-2 soared higher in the air. "Would you like another sample of my fourth level spells?" he shouted. "FIRALA!"  
  
The ultra-powerful fire spell exploded around Beatrix. Unfortunately for the Black Waltz, she was wearing an enchanted ring that absorbed fire magic. The last thing the Black Waltz saw was Beatrix's sword glowing with a bright white light. The last thing it heard was Beatrix's voice yelling "Shock!"  
  
Then its body erupted in pain, and with one final scream, Black Waltz 2-2 plummeted to the ground and exploded upon impact.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Beatrix felt the power of Trance drain out of her, but her work wasn't done yet. She had seen Black Mages emerge from beneath the town, and that meant one thing. The Black Mage Factory, which she had made sure was closed after the destruction of Brahne's fleet at the hands of Bahamut, was running again.  
  
General Beatrix marched through the town of Dali, walking right into the Mayor's house. "I've seen Black Mages here," she said to the Mayor, who had immediately recognized her and was bowing to her. "I can only assume that the Black Mage Factory we shut down is operating again."  
  
The Mayor turned pale. "Please, General. It's not my fault this time. This time he just appeared . . . He said he was taking control of it again."  
  
"Who?" Beatrix said. "Who is taking control of it."  
  
The Mayor looked as if he was about to pass out. "It . . . it was . . ."  
  
It was just then that a Black Mage teleported in. "Traitor!" it shouted, pointing at the Mayor and casting Firaga at him. The Mayor screamed in pain, even as Beatrix jumped forward, loping off the Black Mage's head with the Save The Queen. Beatrix turned around, but already there was nothing left of the Mayor but a pile of smoking ashes.  
  
Outside, the Black Mages began to follow the directions of their master; if their factory was discovered again, they were to burn Dali to the ground and head to the north.  
  
Beatrix only hoped she could make it down to the factory in time.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The Hilda Garde 4 was stuck in traffic. The Festival of the Hunt was in a week, and the South Gate was jammed with airships wanting to pass through it. Security had been tighter ever since Kuja's army of Black Mages had brought the Mist Continent to its knees, so ships were floating in the air or landed on the ground as officials went to each one, inspecting it for any suspicious items or people, then assigning the ship a number for the order in which they could continue through South Gate and on their way.  
  
The Hilda Garde 4 was next to be inspected, but Eiko had no worries. She was the Princess of Lindblum, after all, and she had the Court Mage of Alexandria with her.  
  
So imagine her shock when the inspecting official boarding the ship was immediately blasted with lightning and thrown over the edge by the newly arriving Black Waltz 2-3. 


	6. The Battle Of South Gate

Separation Anxiety By FlowerPower1o1  
  
A/N: I'm so happy! I made someone's favorite story list! General- Beatrix666, you made my day *grin*  
  
Okay, so weird things amuse me. Get over it and read the new chapter :)  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter 6 - The Battle Of South Gate  
  
"Damn it!" Eiko said as the new Black Waltz began blasting his way toward the Hilda Garde 4. "Quina! Keep the ship steady!" Quina saluted as Eiko, Vivi, Blank and Amarant ran out on deck.  
  
"Oh look, it's my new play toys," Black Waltz 2-3 said as the four advanced on the deck, falling into battle stances. "I didn't realize it was playtime."  
  
Eiko raised her Angel Flute, prepared to cast her White Magic at a moments notice. "Why are you doing this!?" she shouted. "These are innocent people!"  
  
"My master was innocent, too," the Black Waltz said. "At least, that's what he says. I tend to not believe him, but you know how it goes . . . he made me, and now I must obey."  
  
"Four to one," Vivi said as he twirled the Mace of Zeus. "It could get pretty pointless.  
  
"Four to one?" The Black Waltz reared its head back and let out a shrill scream. In that instance, a number of Black Waltzes rose over the mountain and advanced on the airships grouped around South Gate. There were probably thirty of them in all.  
  
It was a Black waltz army.  
  
"Count again," Black Waltz 2-3 laughed as he cast Flare Star.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Beatrix shattered the door leading down into the factory with her Save The Queen sword and hurried down the path. She had been in charge of the group of soldiers that sealed this place up six years ago, and she had the layout of the entire factory in her head.  
  
What she wanted was in a small room next to the Mist Engine.  
  
A Black Mage appeared in front of her, and Beatrix raised her sword. Part of her wondered if it was really a good idea, coming down here with an unknown number of Black Mages lurking about. Another part of her wished that she was still in Trance.  
  
Another part cast Stock Break, slicing the Mage in half.  
  
Beatrix ran forward silently, coming to the chamber with the Mist Engine. There were two more Black Mages in this room, which she quickly took out with her Climhazzard attack. Then she twirled and kicked open the door behind the machine.  
  
Yes! It was still there - the teleporter that Kuja had used to transport his Black Mage soldiers to the Desert Palace. It was like the teleporters on board the Red Rose, docked at Alexandria Castle. You thought about the place you wanted to go, and it took you there.  
  
The cave rumbled, sending sand and small rocks sifting to the floor. Beatrix jumped out of the doorway and onto the teleporter, pressing a button. iLindblum Grand Castle/i, she thought.  
  
The general slowly disappeared from view.  
  
Two seconds later, the caverns collapsed, swallowing the village of Dali and every citizen and Black Mage within.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Fenrir!" Eiko screamed, holding up a Maiden Prayer. "Manipulator of Earth and Air! Come to me now! Grant me the powers of your primal wind to crush my enemy!"  
  
A torrent of green-tinged air swept around Black Waltz 2-3, threatening to blow it away. The attack, however, did minimal damage to it.  
  
"Let me show you a wind attack!" Black Waltz 2-3 shouted. It held its hands out and yelled "Snort!"  
  
A part of Eiko's mind realized how ridiculous this attack was, since the only creatures she had fought that had a Snort attack were Yans. Then she was blown across the deck and out of sight.  
  
"Damn!" Amarant said. He pulled back his arms and summoned his Demi Shock ability, casting a dark ball of energy around Black Waltz 2-3. The creature laughed as it shattered Amarant's energy.  
  
Blank reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny white sphere. "Hey, Waltz!" he shouted. The Waltz looked over, and Blank flung the ball into his face. It erupted in a loud BANG! And a rush of fire. Black Waltz 2- 3 shrieked as his robes set on fire and summoned a Water spell on himself to put out the flames.  
  
"Baku's been experimenting with the stage tricks we use in the plays," Blank said to Vivi. "He made a defective batch that actually wound people instead of doing nothing. I brought a bunch of them along. Figured they would come in handy."  
  
"That's what you think!" Black Waltz 2-3 shouted, casting Flare on Vivi. The Black mage was thrown back by the force of the attack.  
  
Then his body started crackling with energy.  
  
Vivi had grown in the past six years. At the age of 15, he was nearly as tall as Zidane had been at that age, although he still wore the same shabby blue felt coat, orange shirt, pointed yellow hat, and green and white striped pants. Somehow his clothes grew to fit him.  
  
But when the glow of Trance faded from him, Vivi was almost twice as big as Black Waltz 2-3, dressed all in purple. He had white wings, like a giant dove, and his eyes were glowing twice as bright as normal. Amarant and Blank gaped at him as the Black Mage fluttered into the air, twirling his staff.  
  
"ULTIMA!"  
  
Magic too powerful to be controlled flew from Vivi's outstretched staff. The only other time in history that this spell had been cast, it had destroyed Memoria, but somehow the Black Mage retained perfect control of it. The killing magic swept out in bolts, striking Black Waltzes that were flying through the air. Many of them vaporized instantly. A few of them staggered in the air before dropping to the ground.  
  
Black Waltz 2-3 was blasted with the largest bolt of all, but somehow withstood the brunt of the force. "You're . . . stronger than my master . . . said . . ." it gasped.  
  
If Vivi had lips, he would have smiled. "Then give your master my regards," he said, raising his staff for another spell.  
  
"BLUE SHOCKWAVE!"  
  
Black Waltz 2-3 screamed as the energy went through him, reducing his energy to the lowest it could possibly go and keep him alive. Amarant walked over to the writhing creature and put his Rune Claws through his head. The Black Waltz's clothes collapsed as a dark shadow blew out of its body, disappearing into the air.  
  
There was another crackling sound, and suddenly, Vivi was Vivi again.  
  
"How did I do?" the little mage whimpered before passing out.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Any minute now," Eiko said to herself from where she hung, "they'll remember that I exist and come rescue me."  
  
The 12-year-old had been extraordinarily lucky by grabbing an outstretched metal rod at the rear of the ship. It was meant to stabilize the ship for turns, and now Eiko dangled from it, unable to grab her Angel Flute from her belt to summon Phoenix and lift her away.  
  
"YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Beatrix teleported herself right onto the elevator while Regent Cid and his wife Hilda were riding it down from the upper level.  
  
"Woah!" Cid said, lifting a spanner over his head as Hilda raised her hand, preparing to cast her Red Magic. They both relaxed when they recognized the general.  
  
"How did you get here?" Cid asked the general as she became oriented with where she was.  
  
"No time to explain," Beatrix said. "I must find Eiko and the others immediately!"  
  
"We just received a dispatch from the Hilda Garde 4," Hilda said. "They had a . . . delay at South Gate. They'll be here momentarily, docking at the airship dock in the mid level. We'll be arriving there any second."  
  
"Wonderful," Beatrix said. "I have just come from Dali - or rather, what's left of it. The Black Mages did a number on the town. There was almost nothing left when I retreated."  
  
"Black Mages!" Cid said. "What is going on?"  
  
"You've heard about Zidane being kidnapped?" When Cid and Hilda both nodded, Beatrix said, "Well, his kidnapped seems to want total domination of Gaia, and he's using Zidane as bait to get a summoner to rescue him so he can remove her eidolons. He's looking to start a full-fledged war."  
  
"So that's where Eiko's been all day," Cid said. "It's nearly night now. You might want to stay in the castle's guest bedroom tonight and set out early again tomorrow."  
  
The lift hissed to a stop as it arrived at the mid level.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Steiner didn't realize that his queen was missing until he went to inform her that the banquet with the nobles of Treno and the dignitaries from Lindblum and Burmecia and found her room empty, her White Mage cloak gone, and the windows to her balcony open.  
  
"She's been kidnapped too!" Steiner cried when he noticed that none of Queen Garnet's clothes had been packed. He may have believed that the Queen wanted to leave after being confined in the castle for so long - she had always had a bit of a wild streak, even before her adventuring days with Zidane. But she would surely pack extra clothes and at the very least inform her protector of her departure. Whatever else Garnet was, she was responsible.  
  
Steiner rushed to the barracks and rang the bell that summoned the Knights of Pluto. Even as he gave orders to scour the city for the Queen, his brain was thinking.  
  
iMy Queen . . . Dagger. I know you can take care of yourself. Please be safe. /i  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Amarant rushed from the platform, carrying the limp form of Vivi. Behind him came a distraught looking Blank and an irritated, windblown Eiko. Behind all of them came Quina, who sniffed everything she saw.  
  
Beatrix rushed forward with Cid and Hilda behind her. "What happened?" she said.  
  
"We were attacked," Amarant said shortly before continuing past her.  
  
"We can put him in the guest bedroom," Cid said as he guided the tall man back toward the lift. "You can all stay there for the night - I know what the inn down in the business district charges. And perhaps in the morning we should have a council of war."  
  
WAR. It was just an expression, but the word echoed in each of their minds for the rest of the night. 


	7. The Town Theater Plays

Separation Anxiety By FlowerPower1o1  
  
A/N - Just out of curiosity, is anyone else getting the 'site experiencing overload' when they try to go to the Final Fantasy 9 story page? Because, geez, that is so irritating . . .  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter 7 - The Town Theater Plays  
  
Everybody slept long into the night, and when they awoke the next day, they found Vivi refreshed after his collapse at South Gate. They washed up, and were summoned to the Regent's chamber, where they ate breakfast.  
  
After the breakfast dishes were cleared, Beatrix filled everyone in on what had happened at Dali, including its destruction. Amarant and Blank told Beatrix and Cid about the battle at South Gate, including the army of Black Waltzes and Vivi's incredible Trance ability.  
  
When they were done, Cid stepped down from his throne and began pacing, his habit whenever he thought about a tricky problem. "Black Mages, Zidane being kidnapped . . . it's all adding up, isn't it?" the regent mused. "Kuja must have survived.  
  
Amarant snorted. "I told Zidane he should have . . ."  
  
"WE KNOW, AMARANT," everyone said.  
  
Hilda stepped into the room, holding a piece of paper in her hand. "I actually have more bad news. We just got word from Steiner in Alexandria. Garnet has also disappeared - gone through her window sometime yesterday evening, either on her own or forced by another."  
  
The wife of the regent received shocked looks from the entire room.  
  
"Steiner called out the Knights of Pluto, but they were unable to find any trace of her," Hilda continued. "Steiner told us to be on the lookout for her or anyone that might have kidnapped her, and also gave us a complete inventory of things in her room, schedules of her tasks, times when she was seen during the day, in case we see anything that might hint toward how she disappeared."  
  
"Who's to say she didn't kidnap Zidane?" Amarant said bluntly.  
  
It was Amarant's turn to get the shocked looks.  
  
Amarant sighed. "Don't tell me I'm the only one that's thinking it," he said. "Beatrix, you said it yourself. They tried to kill each other, and Garnet threatened to cut off his head if she found him again. Then they both disappear within hours of each other, while we're out here on a wild Garuda chase running all over Gaia after these clues. Who's to say that Zidane's not trapped inside Alexandria's private dungeons - getting royal treatment?"  
  
Eiko shook her head. "In that case, why send a letter to Dagger at all? After all, all of the copies of the letter say the exact same thing - a copy was sent to the Tantalus hideout, Lindblum Grand Castle, Freya in Burmecia and Dagger in Alexandria."  
  
"But if Dagger, or Garnet, whatever you want to call her, really wrote the letter, she would say that to throw suspicion off of her, wouldn't she?" Amarant countered.  
  
Hilda glanced down at Steiner's letters. "Steiner didn't mention them finding a copy of the letter anywhere in the royal apartments," she said.  
  
Eiko floundered for words. "But . . . Dagger wouldn't try and start another war!" she protested. "Why would she?"  
  
"The war started last time because the Alexandrian Queen wanted to conquer the continent," Cid mused. "But Brahne was more corrupt than Garnet. I can't picture Garnet ever doing something like that."  
  
"The factory at Dali!" Eiko said triumphantly. "All we need is some proof of the Black Mages being shipped to Alexandria to incriminate Dagger, right?"  
  
"The factory is gone, though," Vivi said. "Buried underneath the remains of the town, remember?"  
  
Beatrix paled.  
  
"Something wrong, general?" Cid asked, noting the expression of the woman's face.  
  
Beatrix stood up. "Before I say this, I want it clearly understood that I do not accuse the queen in any way, and that I am sworn to her and will protect her no matter what."  
  
Everyone nodded.  
  
Beatrix sat down again. "That being said . . . Queen Garnet ordered imports from Dali to Alexandria to be increased a little over a week ago."  
  
Everyone went silent again.  
  
Amarant snorted. "I told you she was a suspect."  
  
Eiko turned around. "What about YOU, Amarant?" she almost screamed. "We all know you don't like Zidane, and you just HAPPENED to show up offering your help the day after he disappeared. How do we know that you didn't lock him away in some quiet place and then went to Alexandria to lead us all over the continent?"  
  
Amarant laughed. "Since when have I had the skill to create Black Mages?"  
  
"Since when have you made Dali a regular stop while you wander around the world?" Cid asked pointedly.  
  
Amarant snapped around to look at the ruler. "What are you talking about?"  
  
Cid went over to a dresser and pulled out a folder. "Lindblum Central Intelligence - my spy network," he said. "They keep track of most of the important people in the world. Minister Artania keeps them very well organized. I could tell you what the Mayor of Conde Petie had for breakfast, if you want. But what's most interesting is that you were reported being seen in Dali three times in the past month. Any reason why you'd want to visit a little frontier town?"  
  
Amarant opened his mouth, and then closed it again. "I don't suppose you'd believe that I like the food they serve at their town shop?" he muttered.  
  
"Listen," Blank spoke up. "We can't just run around pointing fingers at everybody. This isn't the Town Theater Plays; the bad guy in this isn't necessarily one of the ten or twelve people in the known cast. How do we know that some Burmecian guard with a flair for being evil didn't decide to try and conquer the continent - and new exactly where we'd be most vulnerable?"  
  
"Blank got point," Quina said. "It be anyone, right?"  
  
"The question is, how do we find out?" Vivi said. "We've already wasted one day, and we already had to fight a Black Waltz army, and a town was destroyed, and a couple of us almost died. And it's only going to get more difficult from hereon in."  
  
"There you go, Vivi," Amarant muttered. "Give us a pep talk."  
  
"Maybe there are others that have heard things?" Cid wondered. "Unfortunately, Lindblum Central Intelligence was caught by surprise by this - we never knew anything about the factory being operational again until yesterday during the attack. But there are others out there who hear things - Doctor Tot in Treno, Quale in the Qu Marshes, maybe someone in Daguerro?"  
  
Beatrix shook her head.  
  
iYour dreams will show you the way . . ./i  
  
Beatrix suddenly remembered the dream she had had while unconscious aboard the Hilda Garde 4 yesterday - when she was back in Cleyra.  
  
iWe are both alright, in a place devoid of light . . . Deep underground, where we will not be found . . ./i  
  
"Beatrix? Are you okay?" Beatrix snapped out of her thoughts to see Eiko looking concernedly into her eyes.  
  
"Oh . . . yes. Sorry, I just . . ." She hesitated, then told them about her dream.  
  
Amarant snorted. Again. "We're actually going to use a dream as reference for finding Zidane?"  
  
"In magic," Hilda said softly, "it is believed that dreams have power. They speak the truth.  
  
That shut Amarant up.  
  
"A place devoid of light? Underground?" Eiko said.  
  
"And the letter said that Zidane would be hidden someplace along the path of the original quest six years ago," Blank said.  
  
"Gargan Roo," Vivi said, thinking. "Fossil Roo. Mount Gulug. Gizamaluke's Grotto. Desert Palace. The Earth Shrine."  
  
"The roots underneath the Iifa Tree," Amarant said. "You forgot about those."  
  
Eiko shuddered. "That still gives me the creeps."  
  
"And that was the last place we know Kuja was," Amarant said.  
  
"We could divide our forces," Beatrix mused. "Send one person to each of the locations . . ."  
  
"So we can get torn to shreds," Amarant said. "I know I could survive any of those places, and I'm pretty sure you could, Beatrix, but what about the others? We don't know what we're walking into."  
  
"So we should stay on the path?" Blank said. "Where do we go next?"  
  
Vivi tilted his head, thinking. "Zidane, Freya and I went to Gizamaluke's Grotto," he said. "We met Freya along the way. We ended up fighting Beatrix in Burmecia. Steiner and Dagger went to South Gate, met Marcus along the way, and went to Treno. They went through Gargan Roo to return to Alexandria."  
  
"So we could either head back to where we started," Blank said, "or head closer to Burmecia."  
  
"There really aren't a lot of places to hide in the basin where Burmecia is located," Cid said. "The only things over there are the Cleyra settlement where the tree used to be, and North Gate. We know both of those are uncontaminated, and our soldiers and messengers pass through the Grotto on a regular basis. They would have noticed anything out of the ordinary."  
  
"So we go to Treno," Eiko said. "We should saddle up. Let's go get the Hilda Garde 4 ready for takeoff!"  
  
"Unfortunately, daughter," Cid said sternly to the young White Mage, "you pushed the engines to the limits. The ship is being repaired right now, and I can't spare another airship."  
  
"But FATHER!" Eiko started, but her adoptive mother cut her off. "You know your father is right, Eiko," Hilda said. "You're going to have to go to South Gate and take the cable cars to Treno."  
  
"But it's so slow," Eiko grumbled.  
  
"Well then, we better get moving!" Beatrix said, standing up. "The sooner we leave, the sooner we can find Zidane!"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Deep underground, where the only sounds were the crawling of gargants and the whispering of the earth, a large round figure chuckled as he looked in the surface of the glowing mirror. "I always like Town Theater Play," it chuckled. "They amuse. But not as much as Black Mages amuse."  
  
Another, shorter figure, appeared in the darkness behind it. "I hope you're having fun with your new toy," the new figure hissed. "Spying on our friends, are we?"  
  
The first figure turned away from the mirror, cursing. "Stupid cretins. I swallow them whole."  
  
The shorter figure chuckled. "My word, what did you eat that gave you such a foul temper? Come on, our guest needs special treatment."  
  
They both walked into another chamber. This one was lit by two torches fastened to the wall. Between the two torches, a beaten figure was chained to the wall, dangling by his wrists. His blond hair caught the torchlight with an orange glow, his tail hung limply, and his face was still bruised from his fight with these two individuals and their fighters.  
  
Zidane looked up as the round figure and the short figure ambled into the room. "Why . . ." he croaked, his throat dry. "Why are you . . . doing this?"  
  
"Quiet," the short figure snarled, taking one of the torches from the wall.  
  
And then the torture began again.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
A/N: I live for suspense 


	8. A New Breed Of Waltz

Separation Anxiety By FlowerPower1o1  
  
A/N: Sorry I wasn't able to update yesterday. As unlikely as this sounds, I got in a wrestling match / kendo fight with two of my best friends in a muddy field. We were caked with mud, and it took us HOURS to clean off, so I didn't exactly have a lot of typing time yesterday. Yes, contrary to popular belief, I *DO* have a life *grin*. I only hope this chapter makes up for the delay. Enjoy!  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter 8 - A New Breed Of Waltz  
  
South Gate was undamaged from the battle two days ago, but workers and citizens in the area acted nervous, as if a Black Waltz would leap out at any second and attack them. While Eiko and the others were waiting for the cable car to arrive in the rest area (Quina had three plates of South Gate Bundt Cake spread out in front of her), they discussed their options.  
  
"So, if Zidane isn't hidden somewhere in Treno or Gargan Roo," Blank said as he took another gulp of his drink, "should we take the gargant to Alexandria? Or continue to Pinnacle Rock and Fossil Roo?"  
  
"We need to wait until Freya and Fratley arrive," Beatrix said. The general had sent a messenger to summon the two dragon knights from Burmecia with directions to meet them at Treno. "We can decide from there."  
  
"Wonderful," Amarant said from where he sat, sharpening his Rune Claws.  
  
"If only we still had the Invincible," Vivi said. "We could get around the world in a few hours if we had that. Too bad we left it in Memoria right before Kuja destroyed it."  
  
"If someone hadn't pushed the Hilda Garde 4's engines past their limit . . ." Amarant said, and received a kick under the table from Eiko.  
  
"We not only look for Zidane now!" Quina said around a mouthful of cake. "We look for Dagger too!"  
  
"Who we still don't know is innocent," Amarant muttered.  
  
"How good was the food in Dali?" Eiko snapped.  
  
"I never noticed that Amarant and Eiko bumped heads this much," Blank muttered to Vivi.  
  
"We're all a little stressed," Vivi whispered back.  
  
"How long until the cable car gets here?" Eiko said for the seventh time in the past hour.  
  
"About fifteen minutes," Beatrix said.  
  
And they waited.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Freya Crescent ran her Dragon's Hair lance through another zombie, and turned to look at her love. Fratley was engaged by three Lamia creatures. Before Freya could go to help him, Fratley swung his legendary Grand Dragon Horn lance in a broad arc, taking out the three creatures at once.  
  
"Is it just me, or do these things seem more aggressive than usual?" Freya said as another zombie advanced on her. She jumped in the air and disappeared somewhere into the roof of Gizamaluke's Grotto.  
  
As the zombie looked around at the sudden disappearance of the dragon knight, Freya leaped back down, driving her lance through its body. The zombie crumpled.  
  
"We need to leave, now!" Fratley said. More Lamia creatures were crawling from cracks in the walls and advancing on the pair.  
  
"This way!" Freya shouted, even though she knew that Fratley knew the way. The two of them burst out of the cave and into the sunlight, where the creatures hesitated to follow them.  
  
"We should hurry," Fratley said as he picked himself up. "We need to meet your friends in Treno. The knights picked themselves up and began jogging down the canyon toward Lindblum's Dragon Gate, and South Gate just beyond that.  
  
But as they neared the Qu's Marsh, Freya stopped. "Beloved," she called to Fratley. "Stop for a moment."  
  
Together they sliced their way through the thick brush to the center of the marsh, where the hut of Quale, Master of the Qu clan, once stood.  
  
Now, it was a pile of scorched lumber, still smoldering in some parts. Scattered around the area were signs of heavy traffic, as if a large group of people had been in this area recently. It was doubtful that anyone had survived the fire. "This can't be a coincidence," Freya muttered. "This entire area reeks of Black Magic. But why would the Black Mages that kidnapped Zidane and are fighting to take over the continent want to kill Master Quale?"  
  
"That's just one more question to be answered when we find the person responsible for this," Fratley said grimly.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The cable car had arrived, and was now almost at the top of the summit, toward Treno. The group sat in silence, waiting impatiently for the trip to end so they could advance toward the next stage of their journey.  
  
"I wonder if Doctor Tot has heard anything," Beatrix said. "He might know something that we haven't figured out yet."  
  
The cable car hissed to a stop and the doors slid open. The sounds of panic greeted the group.  
  
"What the hell!?" Beatrix said, drawing the Save The Queen and running out, followed by the rest of the group.  
  
There, causing destruction to the rest area of South Gate, were three Waltzes. Dressed all in blue, the creatures looked more like Qu's than the previous Black Waltzes. They were thinner, and didn't have a silly grin on their face, but they did have the flower-shaped eyes and long tongues. They didn't have the awkward movements of Qu's, either; instead, they quickly loped across the ground, smashing things with their weapons, long metal wizard staffs with fork points at the end of them. "What are you?" Vivi said.  
  
The three Waltzes stopped and turned to the group as one. "Oh, there you are," they said simultaneously. "We've been waiting for you. We're the Blue Waltzes."  
  
Vivi blinked. "Blue Waltzes."  
  
"Black Waltzes could only learn certain kinds of destructive magic," one Blue Waltz said.  
  
"So our master decided to improve upon the idea of building Waltzes, using the Blue Magic of the Qu's as a model," the second one said.  
  
"We travel around the world, battle, and eat creatures to gain their energy and power," the last one said. "We've learned many abilities that way."  
  
"And now," they all said together, "we are going to learn yours!" But instead of attacking, they bounded off in three separate directions.  
  
"Spread out!" Beatrix yelled to the others. "Vivi, you're with me. Quina and Blank, follow that one. Amarant and Eiko, follow that one. And hurry up, before these things do more damage!" The group split up and ran after the Waltzes.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Ah," a Blue Waltz said as Beatrix and Vivi approached it. "You came to find me. I'm so touched."  
  
"So which one are you?" Beatrix said as she began to mentally summon her white magic. "Which Blue Waltz are you, I mean."  
  
The Waltz twirled from where it perched on a sign. "Blue Waltz 1, at your service," it crowed.  
  
Beatrix nodded and smiled, right before she cast Holy on the creature. The blinding white magic knocked it from its perch.  
  
Blue Waltz 1 stood up and shook itself off. "Oooh, it's my turn," it said. "Here's a little something I picked up in Oeilvert." The Blue Waltz pointed its staff forward. "Mirror!" it shouted.  
  
White light blazed from the fork part of its staff, slowly creating a figure. When the light faded, Steiner stood there, smirking at his wife evilly.  
  
"I am Steiner!"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Blue Waltz 2 was giving Quina and Blank a hard time.  
  
"Magic Hammer!" Quina shouted, wiggling her tongue. A hammer materialized out of thin air and slammed down on the Waltz, draining some of its magic.  
  
"Ow!" the Waltz shouted. "That hurt!" It raised its staff and pointed it at Quina. "Sandstorm!" it called.  
  
A gust of wind kicked up, blowing sand over Quina. The Qu blinked and rubbed her eyes. "Hey!" she said. "I no can see!"  
  
"What a shame," Blue Waltz 2 mocked.  
  
Blank reached into his pocket and pulled out another one of Baku's pyrotechnics. He threw it at the Blue Waltz, and it exploded in a green shockwave that knocked the Blue Waltz back.  
  
Quina jumped forward and slashed the air in front of her with her Gastro Fork, but missed the Blue Waltz. "Quina!" Blank yelled. "Look out!"  
  
Laughing, Blue Waltz 2 slashed forward with its staff.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Madeen," Eiko growled. "Terrifying beauty, Guardian of the Summoning Tribe. Give me the power of your Millennial Decay!"  
  
Madeen shimmered into view hovering above Eiko, blasting Blue Waltz 3 with the Holy power that the eidolon possessed. The Blue Waltz stumbled back.  
  
"Not so strong against summoning magic, are ya?" Eiko said, smiling.  
  
"I can hold my own," Blue Waltz 3 growled, leveling its staff at Eiko. "Snowstorm!" A torrent of ice flew at Eiko, knocking her back as well. "Stupid Waltz," she said as she picked herself up.  
  
Amarant leapt forward and slashed the Blue Waltz across the chest with his Rune Claws. "Any time you want to help out would be great," he yelled to Eiko.  
  
"I just summoned against him!" she protested as she raised her Angel Flute. "What more do you want?" She cast Holy at the Waltz and watched in amusement as its robe began to smoke.  
  
"Did I mention that I HATE holy magic!?" the Waltz practically screamed. "Web!" A sticky string of Carve Spider webbing shot from its staff and entangled Eiko to the ground.  
  
"This time, stay down!"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"SHOCK!" Beatrix and the reflection of Steiner said at the same time, blasting each other across the battlefield.  
  
Blue Waltz 1 clicked its tongue. "When will the children learn?"  
  
"Stop!" Vivi said, raising his staff.  
  
The Waltz laughed. "Do you honestly think I'm going to stop now, just when I'm having so much fun?"  
  
Then the Waltz froze in place, not moving, not blinking, not breathing, as Vivi's spell took effect.  
  
"You are not Steiner!" Beatrix yelled as she raised the Save The Queen. She brought it down on the fake Steiner's helmeted head, and the creation dissolved into thin air.  
  
The general then calmly strode over to Blue Waltz 1 and stabbed it through the chest. The Blue Waltz collapsed, fading gradually from view.  
  
"Go help Eiko and Amarant!" she yelled to Vivi as she ran off. "I'll go help Quina and Blank!"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Quina and Blank needed help. Quina was lying on the ground, too injured to get up. Blank was able to dodge most of the Blue Waltz's attacks, but he knew he couldn't last much longer without help.  
  
"Aerial slash!" the Blue Waltz shouted, leaping into the air and swiping its staff in an arc. The wind damage forced Blank to his knees. "Help!" he yelled.  
  
Suddenly, he felt replenished as the effects of a Cura spell went through him. He stood up and looked over at Beatrix, who was casting Full- Life on Quina. Quina got up and shook her head.  
  
"No fair!" the Waltz whined. "That's cheating!"  
  
"You hurt Quina!" Quina shouted. "You bad! Must beat you!" She raised her Gastro Fork and waggled her tongue again. "1000 Needles!"  
  
As promised, a thousand deadly sharp needles flew from the air in front of Quina and embedded themselves in the Blue Waltz 2. The Blue Waltz flew backward, dissolving as it went. Its staff clattered against the ground, but the body itself was gone.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Amarant Tranced.  
  
It didn't happen very often, and Eiko had never really looked at Amarant when he was in Trance mode. He looked the same, except for his hair was midnight black and his clothes were different shades of gray and silver. "No Mercy," he growled, using his Flair ability. The attack burst around Blue Waltz 3, knocking it to the ground. "Curse," Amarant said again, summoning a could of dust around it. The mercenary felt some of the Waltz's magic defense slip away.  
  
"Hit it with some fire," Amarant said, and stalked away.  
  
"That's where I come in," Vivi said, bouncing forward. "Firaga!"  
  
"Phoenix!" Eiko said at the same time. "Lord of air and Lord of flame! Unleash your Rebirth Flame upon my opponent and let him know the wrath of an eidolon's fire!"  
  
The two flame attacks incinerated the Waltz. Just before it burned away to ashes, it said "It's too bad about Treno, you know. It used to be such a nice town." Then it disappeared.  
  
Eiko, Vivi, and Amarant looked at each other, and then turned around to see Beatrix, Quina and Blank running toward them.  
  
"We need to get to Treno right away," Eiko said, and then they were running again. 


	9. The Refugees Of Treno

Separation Anxiety By FlowerPower1o1  
  
A/N: Darlings, if I ever make you wait that long for an update again, then you have permission to hunt me down and shoot me. This stupid college thing is giving me more work than I can deal with . . . I have a break to write a little bit now though, so . . . enjoy!  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter 9 - The Refugees Of Treno  
  
It was nightfall by the time the group arrived in Treno. Not that that mattered, because Treno was an abnormality of Gaia; the twin moons of Gaia perpetually blocked sunlight from falling on the area around the city.  
  
Even from far away, Eiko could see that the gates leading into the sleepless city were guarded by Black Mages.  
  
"There are more of them in the city," Amarant said, leaping down from a nearby rock pinnacle. "It doesn't look like there are any civilians in the city."  
  
"The nobles that live in Treno are still in Alexandria, most likely," Beatrix mused. "Queen Garnet was going to have a large banquet, and they were all invited. That was the night that Garnet disappeared, and they wouldn't have been able to get back into the city since then."  
  
"They would have gone to the nearest safe place," Eiko said. "And with South Gate under assault by that Black Waltz army, and no other way off the plateau . . ."  
  
"Then they would have gone to my Grandfather's house," Vivi said. "It's no secret that he lives there; people go to him all the time to ask his advice. He's almost like the wise man of the village, besides Doctor Tot."  
  
"So we go to Quan Dwelling?" Quina asked. Vivi and Eiko nodded, and then the group was moving again.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
As Eiko and the others were running across the plateau, Freya and Fratley were just arriving at South Gate. "We cannot spare the time to wait for the cable car, love," Fratley said. "But I don't see any other way to get up the mountainside."  
  
Freya bowed her head, thinking. "We could go to the Chocobo Forest and catch a chocobo," she said. "But then we'd have to teach it to climb mountains, which is another thing we don't have time for."  
  
Then she had a flash of brilliance. "I've got it!" she exclaimed. "Follow me."  
  
And they ran off, back toward Gizamaluke's Grotto.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"It almost time," the large round figure hissed. "You figure out secret yet?"  
  
"Give me two seconds, my impatient friend," the shorter figure snapped as it set a final tiny jewel into the silver ring in front of it. "There!" it said triumphantly as the ring sparkled with a bright golden color. "Not only does this give me the power to leech eidolons out of their summoners at a close distance, but it enables me to summon four new eidolons. Eiko doesn't even know these eidolons exist."  
  
"So we no need Zidane?" the first figure said.  
  
"Patience, my friend," the short one said. "I still need Carbuncle, Phoenix, Atomos, Bahamut, and Odin for my plan to work. Shiva, Fenrir, Madeen, Ifrit, Ramuh and Leviathan will just be an added bonus."  
  
"You think you can combine eidolons to create superbeing?" the large one said.  
  
The short one laughed. "Carbuncle, Phoenix, Atomos, Bahamut and Odin will have no choice but to combine their energies when I summon them," it said. "Their powers will create a magical weapon unseen by the entirety of Gaia. And then I will achieve what that heavyweight harlot Brahne couldn't achieve.  
  
"Dominion over all of Gaia."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Eiko, Quina, Blank, Amarant, Beatrix and Vivi arrived at Quan's Dwelling to find the commoners that had lived in Treno camped out in the intricate caverns and hot springs leading to his house. Quan himself sat in a chair on his observation deck over the ocean, going over an inventory of all the people living in his caves. "Maybe you guys should wait here," Vivi said softly, and he and Quina walked forward to talk to him.  
  
"What was that all about?" Blank said, sitting down at one of Quan's old chairs.  
  
Eiko looked at the two Qu's and the Black Mage talking out on the deck. "Vivi thought that Quan died when he was younger," she said. "Quan raised him after he found him during his travels, and Vivi came to look upon Quan as his grandfather. Vivi has only seen Quan once since then - while we were trying to stop Kuja."  
  
"We should discuss this, speaking of Kuja," Beatrix said. "While Vivi and Quina are talking to Quan. Do we think that Kuja is the one behind this all?"  
  
"Yes," Eiko said, at the same time Amarant and Blank said "No."  
  
Beatrix shook her head. "I happen to believe that Kuja is behind this all, and we know that Amarant thinks that Garnet is behind all of this herself. Blank, what do you think?"  
  
"I told everyone back in Lindblum," Blank said. "It isn't necessarily someone we've already met. It could be someone completely unknown to us."  
  
"I have another theory," Amarant said quietly.  
  
Beatrix, Eiko and Blank stopped to listen.  
  
"Well, a couple, actually. First of all, what about Garland? We know that we fought him in his Pandemonium castle, and we think we saw Kuja kill him, but if he is dead, how could Garland talk to Zidane in Memoria?"  
  
Eiko nodded. "That's especially true since Garland was the one that wanted Gaia's eidolons for their power in the first place," she said. "What's your other theory?"  
  
"Zidane."  
  
Eiko growled. "You have GOT to be kidding me."  
  
Amarant shrugged. "Garland called him his Angel of Death. How do we know that he's not just completing his creator's wishes? He could have staged the fight with Dagger and placed the notes to cover his trail. And he's the one who would know best where the original group went all over the world."  
  
Blank shook his head. "Amarant, I know you have some stuff against Zidane, but I'm positive that he could never be behind anything like this."  
  
Amarant shrugged. "Whatever."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"It good to see you, Vivi," Quan said. "You grown."  
  
"Hello, Grandfather," Vivi said, hugging the large Qu. "Thank you for taking the refugees of Treno in."  
  
Quan shook his head, his tongue waggling. "First rule of eating hospitality. You have something they don't, you share. Is true for other things besides eating."  
  
Quina jumped up and down. "Master Quan!" she said. "We ask question about Treno! What happen?"  
  
Quan looked at her. "People say, Black Mages swarmed Treno. They come from everywhere. They not kill many, they just drive people away. Then giant big dragon appear over city, like magic, and destroys auction house. Then it disappear again."  
  
"Bahamut . . ." Vivi whispered. Then he said louder, "Where is Doctor Tot? He still lives in Treno. Did he come here with everyone else?"  
  
Quan shook his head. "Tot stayed in Treno. Fortified his tower, some say. No mages got in. He maybe escape in Gargan Roo."  
  
Quina nodded. "We look for him. But we need clear out Treno first. It too dangerous there."  
  
"Come back after," Quan said. "We not see each other in long time. I miss you both."  
  
Vivi hugged his grandfather. "We will Grandfather," he said. "Thank you."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Freya and Fratley had climbed out to the top of Gizamaluke's Grotto and defeated a Grand Dragon. The two dragon knights climbed atop its back, and Freya lassoed a long rope around its jaw as a sort of harness. She placed the point of her lance against the Grand Dragon's neck. "Do you know that I can kill you if you try anything?"  
  
The Grand Dragon nodded.  
  
"So will you fly us someplace if we agree not to kill you?"  
  
The Grand Dragon growled a little bit, but nodded again.  
  
"Good," Freya said, pulling on her makeshift reins. "Fly to Treno!"  
  
The Grand Dragon let out a roar as it flapped its wings, launching itself into the air. It circled once around the clearing it took off from, then made its way through the sky to Treno, carrying the couple.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"How did it go?" Beatrix asked as Vivi and Quina joined them once again.  
  
"Bad," Quina said. "We find out that Black Mages overrun Treno. No one left in city, except maybe Doctor Tot, but his tower sealed."  
  
"Not only that," Vivi said. "We found out that a giant dragon appeared over the city and destroyed the auction house. Then it sort of disappeared again. Grandfather said it was huge."  
  
Eiko gasped. "It . . . Could it be Bahamut?" she asked.  
  
Amarant chuckled. "Looks like Dagger is still a suspect."  
  
Beatrix stood up. "If Doctor Tot is still somewhere in the city, then we have to help him," she declared. "He's a close, personal friend to the Alexandrian Royal House, so it is a moral imperative for us to find him."  
  
"Agreed," Eiko said, standing up. "So what are we waiting for?"  
  
The group set off for Treno.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Oh, poor Doctor Tot," the short figure sneered as it watched the scene in a shimmering mirror. "Don't worry, children. You can't help Doctor Tot - not after my first eidolon tears you to pieces." The figure slipped its ring on and it began to glow.  
  
"Tantarian! Book of Darkness and Spells forbidden! Rise from my libraries and unleash your knowledge and destruction upon my foes, eidolon book of eidolons!" 


	10. A Whole Library Of Torture

Separation Anxiety By FlowerPower1o1  
  
A/N: Ah, yes, finals. That wonderful time of the year when I would rather listen to Yanni 24/7 while having a wild donkey kick me in the midsection than actually study. Sadly, study I must, which is why the updates for this piece are few and far between. Herein lies another little nugget of wisdom and, finally, the revelation of our shadowy figure friends.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter 10 - A Whole Library Of Torture  
  
"Paper Storm," a dry, dusty voice whispered to the group as they crossed the plateau. A whirl of energy appeared and blasted everyone backwards. Vivi hit a rock and was knocked unconscious.  
  
"Damn it!" Eiko yelled, climbing to her feet and looking up. "Look!"  
  
Slowly, a dark shape appeared in the sky above. It was a giant book that slowly drifted from the sky and settled on the ground in front of them.  
  
"Tantarian," Amarant growled. When Beatrix looked at him, Amarant said "This thing is a demon that used to hide out in Alexandria Castle's library. We destroyed it six years ago, just before Bahamut destroyed the original castle."  
  
"It doesn't look too destroyed," Beatrix said as she drew her sword.  
  
"It's an eidolon," Eiko frowned, staring at it. "Someone must have summoned it."  
  
"So summon something against it, before it attacks again!" Blank shouted, but Eiko shook her head. "Too dangerous," she said. "If eidolons attack other eidolons, it creates destructive energy. That's one of the reasons Alexandria was wiped out when Bahamut attacked Alexander."  
  
Eiko jumped back and knelt by Vivi. "I'm pretty much useless against that thing. All I have is my White Magic, and Beatrix has that too. Someone needs to take care of Vivi. Go get it." She raised her hand and began casting Cura on Vivi.  
  
"You heard the lady," Blank said as he raised his Thief Sword. He leapt forward and brought the blade down on the book cover.  
  
A tiny scratch showed on the cover, testament of the book's strength.  
  
"Damn it!" Blank cursed.  
  
Quina jumped forward, shaking her head. "Book bad! Is no cookbook! 1000 Needles!" A torrent of needles flew through the air and blasted the cover of the book open.  
  
Amarant snorted. "This is easier than six years ago," he muttered as the blue demon popped out of the pages of the book. "I've been discovered!" it screamed.  
  
"Quiet," Amarant snarled as he cast Demi Shock on Tantarian. The demon screamed in pain as the ability ripped through its body. "Don't hit it with physical attacks," Amarant warned. "That will force the book to close, and we won't be able to hit it."  
  
"Thank you for the warning," Beatrix said, reversing the Save The Queen and raising her hand. The White Magic of Holy burst from her fingers and burned the skin of the demon.  
  
The demon blinked and opened its mouth. "Edge!" it shrieked as it attacked Blank. The thief hit the ground and climbed back up, pulling one of Baku's defective pyrotechnics from his pocket and flinging it onto the book. Tantarian yelled in surprise as the pages of the book were singed by the pyrotechnic.  
  
"That's it," Beatrix called to Quina. "Use fire, burn the pages!"  
  
"I cook you good!" Quina yelled to Tantarian. "Mustard Bomb!" The air around the demon glowed with intense heat, setting the book on fire. Tantarian screamed again as he tried to put out the flames.  
  
Amarant snorted. "This thing is pathetic," he said as he wound up and cast Curse on the demon. He felt some protection from the book drain away. "Beatrix!" he called. "Hit it with a Thunder Slash!"  
  
Beatrix twirled the Save The Queen, jumped forward, and slashed the sword at the demon. As she swung, lightning came down from the sky, struck the blade, and blasted from the tip over the demon. Tantarian gave one final scream as he dissolved into ashes.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The short figure watched the event through the glowing mirror. "That was pathetic," it snarled. The figure then looked down at the ring on its hand. One of the stones it in was smoky and cracked. "Death of an eidolon," the short figure snorted as it twirled and stomped down the corridor to the next room, where Zidane was still chained to the wall.  
  
The Prince Consort of Alexandria looked up wearily. "Why are you doing this?" he asked again.  
  
The short figure laughed. "Have I answered that question yet? Why would you think I would now?" The figure stepped into the light, revealing the person that Zidane knew so well. The tight orange silk pantsuit with the flowing white blouse underneath. The shiny brown hair, now grown long. The glittering eyes, alive with hate and cruelty.  
  
Queen Garnet til Alexandros Tribal.  
  
"What's the matter, Zidane?" she said, mocking him. "Not enjoying your stay in Gargan Roo? Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?"  
  
Zidane's head drooped. "Dagger . . . please . . ."  
  
Garnet slapped him across the face. "Don't you call me that!" she screamed. "You lost the right to call me that." She smiled and crossed her arms. "Your friends survived my latest attack, and they'll be at Treno any second now. I could just sic the Blank Mages on them and watch them burn to death with Fira, but I choose not to. There's practically no Mist left in these tunnels to make more Mages with, and I need all the Mages I can get. So I'll make it easy for them, and have the Mages conveniently not be anywhere near where your friends are. Then, when they get to my tower, I'll ambush them. And I'll tell you what. I'll even put my scrying mirror in here so you can watch. Would you like that, monkey?"  
  
Zidane kept his head down.  
  
"Why don't you answer me?" Garnet almost purred.  
  
Zidane looked up. "Why don't you go f- . . ."  
  
Garnet whipped her arm out and backhanded him. "Bite your tongue," she snarled. "You're just making it worse for when I kill you. Right now, you're bait. Once your friends get here, I'll have no use for you." She whirled and stormed out.  
  
The woman strode down the corridors of Gargan Roo until she reached the main chamber. "Quale!" she screamed. The large Qu rushed out of a side chamber. "What you want?" he said.  
  
"Set up the scrying mirror for our friend," Garnet said, "and then stay out of sight. Eiko and the others will be here soon."  
  
Quale nodded. "I go now," he said, but paused. "Are you gonna change before they get here?" he asked.  
  
Garnet looked down at her body, smoothing her outfit. "What, does this make me look fat?" she said, twirling. Quale shook his head.  
  
"You crazier than I am."  
  
"No. I'm evil. You're insane."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Steiner was a nervous wreck now. He had not heard from his wife since the day before when they had departed (Had it only been yesterday? he wondered. So much could have happened between then and now), and Queen Garnet was still missing. That caused him so much discomfort and anxiety that he wished for something to happen to distract his attention.  
  
Something did.  
  
Haagan, one of the Knights of Pluto, ran into the room and saluted. "Captain Steiner!" he said. "Intelligence reports have detected a group of Black Mages that have overrun Treno! We wait for your command!"  
  
Steiner jumped to his feet, saluting the younger knight. "Order out the Knights of Pluto! We depart on the Red Rose within the hour!"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The group snuck into Treno through a side gate and made their way through the abandoned alleyways, cloaked by the never-ending night. "No Black Mages," Amarant whispered as the rounded a corner.  
  
"Is it just me," Eiko said from the middle of the group, where she supported the still-weak Vivi, "or is this a little too easy?"  
  
"We'll just worry about getting to Doctor Tot's tower right now," Vivi muttered. "We can worry about everything else when we're sure that he's safe."  
  
The group rounded the last corner and climbed a flight of cement stairs to the walkway leading to the tower. Unfortunately, that was when two Black Mages spotted them.  
  
"Incoming!" Blank said, swiping his Thief Sword at a Black Mage about to cast Fira. The blade sliced the Black Mage's staff in two, and the fire magic reflected back on the Mage, incinerating him.  
  
"Reflect," Eiko muttered, pointing her Angel Flute at Beatrix as she advanced on the other Mage. The Black Mage cast Thundara on the general, but the Reflect spell bounced it back on the caster, exploding it.  
  
"Get to the tower before any others get here!" Beatrix said, turning around and running. They made it to the foot of the tower and slammed the door.  
  
"Doctor Tot!" Eiko yelled up the stairway. "It's Eiko! Are you here?"  
  
"We go upstairs now," Quina said. "I smell person!"  
  
The group climbed the stairs into Doctor Tot's study. A slim figure was sitting in his globe observatory, hunched over a book.  
  
"Dagger!" Eiko said.  
  
Garnet looked up and gasped. "Oh, thank Ramuh you're here!" she said. "I've been trying to hold the Black Mages off since last night, but they break away to regroup every once in a while and then come back stronger than ever!"  
  
Beatrix frowned. "My Queen, I do not understand. How did you get here?"  
  
Garnet frowned. "When I got the note from Zidane's kidnapper, I decided to get some help from Doctor Tot. I thought that he would be able to help, since he is the most intelligent scholar in all of Treno - and Alexandria, Burmecia and Lindblum too, for that matter. But when I got here, Treno was being attacked, so Doctor Tot and I sealed the tower."  
  
"Where is Doctor Tot now?" Eiko asked.  
  
"He went through Gargan Roo to Alexandria to get help," Garnet said. "That was about six hours ago."  
  
"That was when we found the Blue Waltzes at South Gate," Amarant muttered.  
  
Quina frowned, staring intently at Garnet.  
  
"What about the giant dragon that destroyed the auction house?" Blank asked. "We thought that might have been Bahamut."  
  
Garnet shook her head. "I summoned Bahamut, but I didn't command him to destroy any buildings - just Black Mages," she said. "The Black Mages hit him with Blizzara a few times, and . . ."  
  
That was when Quina jumped forward. "Twister!" she shouted, as a gust of wind magic blew Garnet back against the wall.  
  
"Quina, are you mad?!" Eiko yelled, even as Beatrix's hand flashed to her sword hilt. "You just attacked Dagger!"  
  
Quina shook her head fervently. "Is no Garnet!" she said. "She no smell like Garnet. She smell like Red Magic! Is a trick!"  
  
Just then, there was a laugh from the observatory area - a cackling, evil laugh, deeper than anything Garnet's voice could have produced. The crumpled figure of Garnet disappeared in glowing red light. The light shrunk, creating the silhouette of a shorter, rounder figure. And when the light faded, there stood Doctor Tot, a malevolent gleam in his eye.  
  
"Oh no, I've been discovered," he laughed as the group shrunk back from him.  
  
And then the roof exploded. 


	11. Tot's Eidolons

Separation Anxiety By FlowerPower1o1  
  
A/N: If I ever make you wait that long for an update again, kill me. It's that simple. Hopefully, we only have two or three more chapters to go . . . because I realized that I'm a really bad writer.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The roof exploded, revealing twenty Black Mages with wings, flapping in the air, keeping all of them covered.  
  
"Doctor Tot!" Beatrix exclaimed, leveling Save The Queen in her hands and watching the mages above her warily. "Why are you doing this?"  
  
Tot laughed, an evil laugh unlike the kindly tutor they knew. "Didn't you ever wonder why I moved to Treno after Brahne began her plans to dominate the Mist Continent?" he said. "We both had the same goal in mind, just different ways of accomplishing it. I moved here to begin my planning to take over."  
  
"What about helping us six years ago?" Eiko screamed, in a rage. "What was that all about?"  
  
Tot smirked. "Kuja's plans were interfering with mine. I helped you to get him out of the picture so I could start my own plans - stealing the most powerful of all the eidolons and combining their powers to make one incredible super-eidolon. None could stop me!"  
  
"Stop this," Eiko snarled as she raised her Angel Flute to her lips. She blew a shrill note into it . . . and did nothing. She blinked in surprise. "What the . . . ?"  
  
"Oh," Tot said, eyes widened. "Are you looking for this?" He raised his hand, which housed a glowing ring. A thin beam of light shot to the sky, and a dark figure descended through the air, stopping above the castle. The massive form of Madeen, the Holy eidolon, roared with the rage of its new summoner.  
  
"Like I said," Tot said as Eiko sunk to her knees, struck speechless. "I need the power of the eidolons . . . Phoenix's powers of rebirth, Odin's massive strength, Bahamut's fiery wrath, Atomos' darkness ability, and Carbuncle's defensive strength. Add to that the power of the rest of your summons . . . Well, it's formidable to say the least . . ."  
  
"You're forgetting something, Tot," Eiko snarled as her summoner's horn began to shimmer. "I have more than eidolons to hurt you with." She stood up again, her body erupting in energy. Her horn grew long and pointed as her hair shimmered with greenish tinges. Long white wings grew from her back. Eiko Carol, Tranced, raised her hand and snarled.  
  
"HOLY!"  
  
The strength of the spell, combined with Eiko's Trance strength, blasted Tot's observation globe from its supports and sent it crashing to the ground. Tot himself screamed as he smashed through the back of the globe and against the wall.  
  
Madeen wavered in the air as Tot's hold on the eidolon faded. The glowing figure dissolved and returned to Eiko. Tot slowly got up and shook his head. "I guess I'll have to try one of mine," he said. "Ozma! King of shadows and pain! Come forth from the void and lay waste to my enemies!"  
  
The massive ball that was Ozma appeared above the tower, spinning in the air as it waited for someone to attack it. Eiko leapt into the air, flapping her wings. Amarant and Quina, to their surprise, also lifted with her. "GO!" Eiko yelled to Beatrix, Vivi, and Blank as the three in the air landed on the tower's parapet. "We'll handle this!"  
  
The Black Mages had fled at the sight of Ozma, fleeing back into the city. Tot grinned as he saw Blank charge him, his Thief Sword out. "Ta ta," he mocked the thief, teleporting just as Blank's sword struck where the doctor had once been.  
  
"Come on Blank!" Vivi said as he spun and ran down the steps of the tower with Beatrix close behind him. "Let's get him!"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Ozma let out a growl as Eiko twirled her Angel Flute threateningly. "Flare Star," a dry, dusty voice said. Eiko, Amarant and Quina were thrown by the attack.  
  
Amarant went to step forward and stopped at the edge of the parapet. "I can't reach it," he said. He raised his hand and cast No Mercy instead, watching as the powerful fireball hits Ozma and explodes.  
  
Quina jumped forward. "Frog Drop!" she yelled as a giant glowing frog fell from the sky and exploded on Ozma.  
  
Just then, a thunder attack ripped through the sky and struck the spinning ball. A Grand Dragon flew overhead, just as Ozma cast its Doomsday attack. The dragon got the full force of the spell and vaporized.  
  
Freya dropped from the sky, striking the eidolon with her lance and then jumping back to the parapet in midair. "Am I late?" the Dragon Knight asked.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Beatrix, Vivi, and Blank were in the card stadium, battling the Black Mages. The problem was, more and more kept coming.  
  
"Is it just me," Blank yelled as he threw one of his pyrotechnics at a mage, setting it on fire, "or have we been fighting an awful lot lately?"  
  
"I don't mind it," Beatrix said as she took out five Black Mages at once with Climhazzard.  
  
Tot appeared across the stadium, raising his ring once more. "Nova! Dragon Guardian of the land of memories! Smite my foes with the force of your magic!" Then he teleported out again.  
  
The roof of the card stadium was slashed open as the massive Nova Dragon ripped a new skylight in it, dropping into the massive opening and facing the three companions. It sent out a massive Shockwave as it landed, blasting the general, the mage, and the thief across the floor.  
  
Blank was the first to recover, surprisingly enough. He closed his eyes and his body crackled with energy. Beatrix smiled as she knew what was coming.  
  
Blank's hair turned from red to blue. His skin became silver and shiny, his clothes turning purple. The Thief Sword in his hands became a double-sided weapon, like the swords Zidane used to use in his traveling days. Blank, in full Trance mode, raised his sword and cast his very own Dyne ability. "Frigid Ring!"  
  
A blue circle of energy appeared around the enemy, mystical symbols twirling around it. The circle exploded, sending an icy breeze through the stadium. The Nova Dragon screamed as it was attacked, jumping back a step. Beatrix stepped forward, reversing her sword blade and summoning her white magic. "Holy!" she yelled, and the crystalline magic burst against the Nova Dragon, again knocking it back.  
  
Vivi twirled his Mace of Zeus. "Comet!" A giant flaming hunk of rock flew down through the ceiling and exploded against the Nova Dragon, who roared and leaped forward. It slashed forward with its claws, throwing all of them back.  
  
That was when Fratley dropped from the hole in the ceiling, using his own Dragon Knight ability. A transparent dragon's head appeared around his body and flew at the Nova Dragon, snapping viciously. While the Nova Dragon was stunned, Blank leapt forward, still Tranced, and struck it with his double-sided sword. Beatrix stepped forward, raising the Save The Queen. "Shock!" The silver explosion of Shock flashed around the Nova Dragon, and it let out one final roar as it dissolved into nothing. Beatrix sheathed her sword and did her signature post-battle hair flip. "It's a good thing you showed up when you did, Fratley," she said to the Burmecian. "The Nova Dragon could have had us after that one hit."  
  
"Freya went to the others to help them with the other creature at Tot's tower," Fratley replied.  
  
"There's still Black Mages everywhere, and we still have Tot to worry about," Blank said, still Tranced.  
  
And that was when the sky over the card stadium was blotted out by a large shape moving over the card stadium. The four in the stadium looked up.  
  
"That was an eidolon, wasn't it?" Vivi asked.  
  
"Yeah," Blank said. "But which one?"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Freya cast her Dragon Crest ability. The dragon head that burst forth from the ground exploded all around Ozma, damaging it, but the eidolon still stayed in the air.  
  
Eiko blew into her Angel Flute. "Carbuncle! Eidolon of many powers! Come from the void and give us the power to Reflect!"  
  
Carbuncle itself did not come forward, probably because of the danger of Ozma, but a red light shone all around the four on the parapet, casting Reflect on them. This was good, because Ozma had just cast Doomsday again. The shadow magics reflected off everybody and struck Ozma full force, healing it with the dark power.  
  
"This thing too strong!" Quina yelled as she cast Mustard Bomb. The fire magic tore through Ozma, but didn't wound it at all.  
  
Eiko raised her hand, trying to cast Madeen, but was unable. "My magic is drained," she gasped. Amarant pulled Quina's old Needle Fork from their supplies and threw it at Ozma. It his the spinning ball and disappeared, damaging it only slightly. "We're screwed."  
  
Ozma started spinning around and around, getting ready to cast Doomsday . . .  
  
And then exploded as a Mega Flare hit it, shattering into a million pieces and disappearing.  
  
The four on the parapet winced, looking to the spot where Ozma had been a moment before. Now, a giant dragon flapped its wings, hovering in the air, growling slight, steam coming from its nose.  
  
Bahamut.  
  
And perched on its head sat Dagger, dressed in her white blouse and orange jumpsuit from her traveling days, smiling at them. "Am I late?" 


End file.
